Since being released from the UFC, Robelis Despaigne has compiled an impressive record outside the promotion. He has won seven fights in Karate Combat, with six finishes including four in the first 20 seconds, plus one decision victory. Despaigne also knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos. Despite being a limited fighter with no wrestling skills and being 37 years old, the post argues his UFC release was a mistake. His knockout power and massive reach make him dangerous against any opponent, and he could have provided highlight-reel finishes against lower-tier UFC competition.
Since parting ways with the UFC, Cuban heavyweight Robelis Despaigne has quietly built one of the more eye-catching post-UFC resumes in recent memory, capping it with a knockout of former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.
Despaigne, known as "The Big Boy," went 5-2 inside the UFC but has found a new home in Karate Combat, where he has run up seven victories. Six of those wins have come by finish, including four that ended within the first 20 seconds of the opening round. His one decision win rounds out a stretch of form that underlines just how destructive he can be at the elite level. Standing six-foot-seven with a jaw-dropping 84-inch reach — 213 cm — the 37-year-old Cuban orthodox striker lands 2.11 significant strikes per minute at a 59 percent accuracy rate, a figure that reflects the precision behind his power. He has recorded zero takedowns and zero submission attempts per 15 minutes, making his game almost entirely stand-and-bang.
Among those finishes was former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos, who entered that fight with a professional record of 21-9. "Cigano," now 42 and representing Brazil's Champion Team, remains one of the most accomplished heavyweights of his generation. The six-foot-four Brazilian lands 4.49 significant strikes per minute across his career — a volume that reflects decades of high-level competition — though his record shows he has always been susceptible to big punchers.
Why it matters
- Despaigne's 84-inch reach gives him a structural advantage over virtually every heavyweight he faces, creating problems that ring rust cannot erase.
- Six finishes across seven Karate Combat bouts, four of them inside 20 seconds, suggest his one-punch stopping power remains fully intact at 37.
- The JDS knockout is a marquee name on any résumé and adds legitimate credibility to his post-UFC run.
- His UFC record of 5-2 and his current finishing rate raise fair questions about whether the promotion cut him too soon.
